Pole Climber or Pipe Welder?

[chickenfarmer]

Alright so a little background. I'm 16, a hillbilly by far, and as hard of a worker as they come. I sign up this week for tech, which is basically just free trail school while I'm still in high school. I start next year and will go senior year as well(I'm a sofomore). My question is, welding or electrical. I think it would be awesome to become a lineman but a welder seems pretty great as well. I can't imagine doing one thing the rest of my life. So what do you guys think would pay off better? Welding or electrical/alternative energy? Thanks in advance for your thoughts

 

[bugnout]

Can't go wrong with either. A skilled worker in either trade will find work.

You will certainly learn about electric as a welder. Not sure you can say the reverse.

 

[chadman]

Both can be good jobs depending on you and who you work for. Between the two I would choose welding. I wouldn't like gettiing called out of bed in the middle of the night during a storm to go climb a pole. Personaly I'd pick being a machinist over either of those two.

 

[z289522]

Electricians around here make 30$ an hour plus and welding skills are in demand for them guys

 

[BigWil]

My advice is to look into millwright (industrial mechanic) You will learn the basics of welding, electrical, hydraulics, plumbing, electronics, etc. (at least you would in Canada, not sure how the school system is there.) I have two brothers who both went through it, and they get a very wide variety of training and experience. One brother is currently working in a factory processing ore, and the other one is a service guy for a hydraulic company. He rebuilds hydraulic and air cylinders, hydraulic presses, etc.

 

[Jackfre]

I've been in the construction business for almost 50 yrs. I'm a fitter/welder by trade. Haven't worked at it in almost 30 yrs. Knowing what I know now, I would recommend electrical. Over time you can learn to weld. Welding is not a particularly healthy occupation from both vision and respiratory standpoint. Get into electronic controls and refrigeration technician. Good work there. Being a sophomore, you have time to try out a lot of things. Good luck! Work hard!

 

[larry_g]

Either trade is an honorable one. I've done a bit of both and eventually landed in industry doing production machine maintenance. I highly encourage that if you pursue either of these trades that you get a good math background. The math allows you to progress from flunky to management. The math leads you to understand why things are done in a way and when your being told to do things that are wrong. That said I would pursue the electrical path and as Jack said above the electronic controls is a path to shoot for. As you grow up you will appreciate a job where you use your mind more than your back.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[chickenfarmer]

Awesome thanks guys. We'll see what happens

 

[Milton Shaw]

Electrical lineman make good money on storm repair, a lot of them go mobile and repair out of their area. Hundreds of them have been in the northeast this winter and worked 16 hour days and made real good money. It's dangerous work, working in storms and with tree's down everywhere. Electrical repair jobs including appliance repair, industrial electronics etc pay good money and will always be in demand, Appliance service repair jobs will never be outsourced to China and are usually indoor easier jobs. This area has a lot of techs that are nearing retirement age and will need a lot of replacement workers. Welders make good money but do have traveling jobs such as pipeline new work.

 

[DoyleDee]

Electrician is my vote. There is a good field for them and the pay can be very good. A welder can be fine, but as noted above- respiratory and eyesight are not to be taken lightly. Whatever you do, you have to be careful and have your mind on the task with either... accidents do happen.

 

[Colonial Cobra]

Interested in another option??? Plumbers around here are the highest paid of the trades.

 

[plung]

More dangerous being a lineman. But its not so bad if you're working in underground vaults.

 

[35mm]

Someone mentioned machinist. I have heard from two different people who are in the business that machine shops are hiring and can not find any applicants.

 

[kesslerbmw]

What part of Michigan are you from?

I'd do welding... My father and Grandfather were both pipe fitter's and did very well for themselves... better than any line workers I know.

 

[54FordPanel]

Welder. Your knees and back will thank you in 20 years for not being a lineman.

 

[camarotoolman]

I have a cous that went to vo-tech welding, went on to Penn State, and now sells weldering stuff all over the world making the big bucks. As above, get you math and english courses so you can move up.

 

[crewchief888]

i'm glad to see a 16 year old thats wants to do something besides play video games and hang out at the mall....


the skilled trades are a dying art

 

[Bookworm]

If I were 16 or 20, I would get certified in welding, and go to the gas fields. Marcellus or Bacchus shales. They are crying for welders, there will be oilfield work for decades.
Do it before you get tied down with wimmins & chilluns and can't go anywhere.

 

[onething]

Not sure about the training you're looking at, but we've been hiring linemen from several lineman colleges around the country and they are not all equal. If you go that way, compare the bang for the buck.
We also have one division that is hiring only if you have a 2 yr. tech degree.

 

[Zeke]

I voted electrical. I have my reasons after being in the trades for 40 years. Want to go one even better? Elevator mechanic.

 

[PRH44]

I would say learn to weld and becom an Electrician. Welding is always in demand in the electrical industry. I would suggest applying at your local IBEW apprenticeship program. I would also suggest becoming an inside wireman over a lineman. There are many specialties you can go into once you get a few years under your belt.
you learn to do many things and see how many other things are done. Conduit bending, cable pulling, high voltage, Installing large switcgear and generators, lighting, controls, troubleshooting, AV, Telecom, security, fire alarm etc. Its been very good to me my father, brother and sons. Its a wide open field.

 

[vator]

i second the vote for elevator mechanic, learn several trades and put them to use everyday.never a dull moment

 

[collmorgen]

I've working in manufacturing for 26 years now and in the plants that I have worked in, the E&I (electrical and instrumentation) guys are the highest paid trades.

 

[chickenfarmer]

My advice is to look into millwright (industrial mechanic) You will learn the basics of welding, electrical, hydraulics, plumbing, electronics, etc. (at least you would in Canada, not sure how the school system is there.) I have two brothers who both went through it, and they get a very wide variety of training and experience. One brother is currently working in a factory processing ore, and the other one is a service guy for a hydraulic company. He rebuilds hydraulic and air cylinders, hydraulic presses, etc.

I do like this idea, never heard of it referred to like that, I'll have to look into it, thanks

Interested in another option??? Plumbers around here are the highest paid of the trades.

I'm alright, I'd rather keep my hands out of other peoples crappers

More dangerous being a lineman. But its not so bad if you're working in underground vaults.

I kind of like the danger of it, makes it a bit more fun

Someone mentioned machinist. I have heard from two different people who are in the business that machine shops are hiring and can not find any applicants.

Yea that's what I'm doing now, I like it but I'd rather be out in the field somewhere

What part of Michigan are you from?

I'd do welding... My father and Grandfather were both pipe fitter's and did very well for themselves... better than any line workers I know.

West Michigan near holland, I'm thinking the nuke plants might be good out here

i'm glad to see a 16 year old thats wants to do something besides play video games and hang out at the mall....


the skilled trades are a dying art

Hoorah! For sure! I'll stick with fixing cars and racing lawn mowers and things

If I were 16 or 20, I would get certified in welding, and go to the gas fields. Marcellus or Bacchus shales. They are crying for welders, there will be oilfield work for decades.
Do it before you get tied down with wimmins & chilluns and can't go anywhere.

I do like this idea, thanks

Not sure about the training you're looking at, but we've been hiring linemen from several lineman colleges around the country and they are not all equal. If you go that way, compare the bang for the buck.
We also have one division that is hiring only if you have a 2 yr. tech degree.

the tech center here is free as long as I'm in school

i second the vote for elevator mechanic, learn several trades and put them to use everyday.never a dull moment

Haha not many buildings over 2 stories here, sorry


Thanks for all your thoughts!

 

[musgofasta]

FIL is a long time lineman for the local utility. Makes great union pay, almost as much overtime as he ever wants but also a straight 40 if he needs.

Yes he has bad knees, but may/may not be job related.

Between the two, I'd get the electrician skills I needed and try to get in with a utility company out of high school.

 

[theoldwizard1]

One thing about electricians, there is a lot of different kinds of work. Linesman, factory, home, wind generators, etc, etc.

If you really want to make BIG money, learn scuba and welding. Underwater welders make HUGE $$$$ !! (You won't be living in MI !)

 

[LennyTheLizard]

This post brought a lot of thoughts to mind, so I'll try not to make this too long.

1. You're young and have plenty of time to decide, and are on the right track to be thinking about your future.
2. If you have the opportunity during your Sophomore, Junior, and Senior years, try both (and another trade). See which one you like better. Some trades pay better than others, but if you enjoy your job everyday - you will be much happier.
3. I have a mechanical engineering degree and am in management at a fairly large manufacturing plant. However, when I was your age, I just wanted to be an Automotive Technician. Keep dreaming - and keep pursuing your dreams and you will go very far in life.
4. Learn any skill that you can pick up along the way - especially from veterans in the trade. As long as you show willingness to learn and are respectful, I think most skilled tradesmen will be glad to show you the ropes.

To the original question: From my personal experience (I'm not a great electrician or welder but know a little of each), it is probably harder to learn to be electrician, and you will probably have more opportunities available (different subject matters). And if you can learn to be an electrician, you can also learn to be a welder (IMO).

 

[rburke65]

He's a quick bio.....joined the Navy at 17 and became a 'communications electrician'. Lots of electronic school, intercoms, telephones, amplifiers, etc. Got a job with a local contractor rewiring old houses for 11 years. Hired in at General Motors (retired with 30 years) as a Weld Equipment Maintainance & Repair. Lots of welding and robot programing and trouble shooting schools ......because of all the robotic welders. It's been a good life and very deversified in diff. fields of electricity. Good luck to you.

 

[buzz4041]

Electrical as your main study.

 

[Viriiguy]

Be a Welder.

My Grandfather was an Electrician. In 1977 His bucket truck was blown into high voltage lines. He suffered 3rd degree burns on 97% of his body. He spent 2 years in the hospital, having skin grafts and then breechings, then more skin grafts, then they would have to breech all his joints again. Breeching, is when they slice open the skin at a joint, to allow more movement as you heal from burns.

He survived this ordeal.. He lived another 34 years after that. But his life was hard from then on. He was scar tissue from head to toe, his ears, lips and nose were sculpted onto his, as his were all burnt off.

Why am I telling you this?
So that even if you do become an Electrician, you will know and respect the immense power that little wire has. My grandfather was a very lucky man to survive. The doctors said, if he was not in such amazing physical condition at the time of the accident, he would have never survived.

So please, please, PLEASE... Do not forget just how deadly that invisible force known as Electricity is.

R.I.P James Womac.

 

[bdkruger1]

I'm a CWI. That's Certified Welding Inspector. I spent about 16 yrs. under the hood prior to becoming an inspector. Worked for good people and not so good as well. Back when I started it was a lot tougher to find a good job than it is now. The reason is the prior generation hadn't started retiring yet. Now they have, and in huge numbers. Welding jobs are abundant.

That said, the biggest mistake that I feel I made when I was starting out was not going into the service. A free, top notch education, AND they pay you, AND you get to see the world. Go in the Navy, do the welding program, and go to school. Become a welding engineer and you'll leave the service and walk directly into a six figure salary. Guaranteed.

 

[lerand]

Either way you go, look into jobs in the oil industry. The pay is usually higher, you will have the opportunity to travel, and the projects are often very large scale and capital intensive.

 

[6768rogues]

Between the two I would choose electrical work. Welding has fumes and eyesight issues associated with it. Electricity can be dangerous and flashes can damage eyesight, too. Welding can cause bodily damage slowly over the years. Bodily damage from electricity is quick and by the time you realize it happened, it is too late.

 

[rkevins]

I work in electrical in a HVAC plant so my vote would be electrical, try to get into industial controles, PLC

 

[slip knot]

Instrumentation/ control / computer driven automation is where I would go If I was starting over. Automation is the wave of the future and there not enough " capable" people available to fill the vacancies. I've had I&C postions sit vacant for months on end because no-one knows whats involved. I get lots of computer geeks but no real control skills or I get phone guys who understand low voltage control but no clue about computer programming/logic. About the time we get them trained they figure out what they are really worth and go get a postion at one of the local petro-chemical plants.

 

[Terry454]

More dangerous being a lineman. But its not so bad if you're working in underground vaults.

I have 44 years with a public utility, but I never climbed a pole. I can count on one hand the number of times I have been in a bucket -- including the time I got a ride in a 150 foot sky lift just because I could.

After working in Network Vaults for 25 of those years I would disagree with plung's opinion -- especially if the secondary voltage is 277/480. That stuff just burns and burns and the secondary network protectors and cable limiters just see the burn as more load. Sorry to those of you who have not worked in the field -- this entire last paragraph will not mean much to you.

Summary: The electrical utility field has been very very good to me. Right now there is a lot of growth in this business. The guys who are telling you how physically demanding lineman's work is are right, but there are many other opportunities in the utility field. That said, give it a few years and see what you like. You will do much better at a job you like, than at one that is a burden every day.

Terry

 

[offroadsteve]

While I don't have years and years of experience to share, and I'm a "damn college kid" engineer, I wanted to emphasize the importance of the math and physics education in the regular classroom. I have done both electronics work and welding as a hobby and I can tell you for certain that having the theory education helps me better understand welding and electrical stuff.

I can also say that as an engineer at a large industrial manufacturer, you cannot put a value on our skilled trades that also understand theory.

If your stuck on either welding or electrical work, my opinion would be that electronics and controls is the place to be. There is going to be a huge demand for people that understand all the "smart" technology that is currently being developed. The "smart" grid, "smart" power meters, etc etc etc. You will NEED both the hands-on skills and the book skills.

Edit - Fixed spelling errors. While I payed attention in math and physics, english was not my strong suit.

 

[Tscott]

Offroadsteve is correct. No matter what you do, get your education and never stop learning. This doesn't mean you have to go to college, but is does mean you need to learn a trade you love and then make sure you are always the first to show up and the last to leave and never be satisfied with good enough. I am a few years ahead of you at 29 and the only regrets I have in life are not applying myself towards certain things and backing down from some challenges. As a result, I am back in school for a second bachelors degree while I am working and have a family at home who I miss. If I had done it right the first time I would be well further along in my career and I would have more time to do the things I love.

Tom

 

[1Garageman]

I would say electrician, no offense to welding. But if you because a great electrician there are a lot of jobs out there and their always will be. You can then inside of the field move to different specialties and make some really good money. There are a lot of different types of fields to go into, and they will always be needed.
Good luck and keep you head on straight!

 

[NUTTSGT]

Mad props to you being a 16 yo looking into the future and wanting to work. I'd suggest the electricalside as mystep-dad retired as an electricain for GE. He made very good money with great benefits. If you are serious about the linemen stuff, follow the link. Check it out and find what you need to do.

http://www.aep.com/careers/collegerelations/techschool.aspx